Artist
Incapacitants
Duo of Toshiji Mikawa (who later ran Extreme Records and released the Merzbox) and Fumio Kosakai, specializing in harsh analog noise. Formed 1981 in Osaka. Ran the crucial Alchemy Records label that released many key Japanoise works throughout '80s and '90s, distributing noise when major labels wouldn't touch it. Their sound: pure analog electronics, no digital processing, maximum volume. Represented Japanoise's DIY infrastructure—artists running labels, releasing each other's work, building ecosystem through mail-order and cassette trading. Demonstrated that noise could sustain itself entirely outside commercial structures.